Happy 4th of July!!

Happy 4th of July!

Today we've been invited to our neighbors house for a fish fry. It's the neighbor that is building the two story dream garage for Steve: William.

William and his family love everything I bake. When I asked them what I could bring to the party, in unison, they said, "Chocolate Chip cookies, No-Bake Chocolate Oatmeal cookies, and Chocolate Cake". Then they all looked at each other funny and said, "Huh??" Hunter said he could become a fat boy eating my no-bake chocolate oatmeal cookies.

So, that's what I'm doing today: baking two kinds of cookies and a chocolate cake. My neighbors behind me have family visiting, so I'll be baking cookies for them, too.

My neighbors are spoiled. rotten. I love it!

I did a little bit of patriotic decorating.

This is my Hoosier Cabinet I bought at a flea market. Doesn't she look adorable with her patriotic banner draping aross her neck? Yeah, I think so, too. Vanessa had a banner tutorial on her blog. Talk about easy peasy!

The top of the cabinet holds a couple of roosters, some red geraniums, and my little red tea pot and blue sifter.





You know me; there's a "story" for everything, so here's the story of the red teapot. I found this red teapot at the antique store one day. It was in my favorite booth. I carried it all around the store with me the whole time asking myself if I really needed it. So, I put it down, walked away, and tried to forget about it. I think I told Terry (best friend) about it. She's the queen of "Buy it even if you don't need it 'cause you'll find a place for it eventually".

Several months later my sewing group,"The Girls", got together to sew. Terry walked over to me with a bag. In it were some coffee themed dishtowels, a package of Mary Englebreit thank you notes, and the red teapot. My mouth dropped wide open. She knows my favorite color is red. She said that after she got off the phone with me the day I told her that I left the red teapot there, she went to the antique store and bought it for me because I needed it. I love her!!!!

The blue sifter doesn't have a story other than I've never seen a blue sifter. It was cheap so it came home with me that day.


This litte tablerunner I made back in 1999 fit perfectly on Miss Hoosier's little pull out table. It is a Terry Atkinson design in her book Lessons from Mama.

This table runner sits on my kitchen table.

It can be a wall quilt, too, but I like it on my table. It is a Pat Sloan design in her book Quilt the Seasons.

Terry made this quilt for me in 2000.
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There is millennium fabric in the star. That's how I know it was made in 2000. It was in McCall's Quick Quilts magazine.

This little quilt I won in a silent auction in 1998.

I'm not really sure what book it is in, but it looks like a "Little Quilts" design.

This quilt I made in 2001. After 9-11, I needed a big patriotic quilt. I didn't have time to wait on someone to quilt it for me, so I quilted it myself on my Bernina.

It is "Northern Star" from Quilt in a Day.

Edit: Check out this giveaway from Lori Holt!!!

The deadline for the drawing is tonight (July 4th), so go see what she's giving away!!! It's something adorable that would be cute hanging on my Hoosier Cabinet!!

It's time to start baking cookies and my chocolate cake. I'll share the chocolate cake recipe with you tomorrow. It's easy, and it's good.

Until then, I hope you have a great 4th of July!

Amanda